Holiday week warm-up on tap after brief cool-down

Don’t put away the sunscreen, shorts and flip-flops. Palm Beach’s first real “cold snap” of the season is likely to be over before the Thanksgiving turkey has a chance to thaw out.

Monday’s high is forecast to top out in the low 70s with falling dew points and a brisk north wind, making for a comfortable start to the week. But a wind shift to the north-northeast — probably some time around early evening, according to detailed forecasts — will kick off a week-long warm-up that returns high temperatures to around 80 by Turkey Day and continuing on into the weekend.

Winds should be out of the northeast by early Tuesday morning, and straight out of the east by Wednesday. Water temperatures off the Central Florida coast range from 79-80 degrees, and remain between 82-84 near the Bahamas, so cool air associated with the latest front will be greatly modified.

Partly sunny skies are expected to return by Thanksgiving day, according to the National Weather Service, although it may not be ideal beach weather. Winds are expected to gust up to 30 mph, which will likely raise the risk of rip currents.

By late in the weekend, Palm Beach may be back above 80 with a forecast high on Monday of 84, according to AccuWeather.

Warmer-than-average temperatures are in the forecast for most of Florida through the first half of December. (Credit: NOAA/ CPC)

Long-term, the December forecast is for more above-normal temperatures in most of Florida. And the new four-week forecast suggests above-average temperatures through at least Dec. 18.

Normal high temperatures for the first half of December range from 76-78 while normal lows range from 60-63.

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WEEKEND RAINFALL TOTALS: Through 8 a.m. Sunday, 0.49 of an inch fell at Palm Beach International Airport. Palm Beach: 0.16 of an inch near the Par 3 Golf Course; and 0.67 of an inch along the Royal Palm Way corridor. Other areas: 2.78 inches in Jupiter (Indiantown Road and Pennock Lane); and 2.40 inches in Royal Palm Beach.

Miramar, in Broward County, measured an unofficial total of 3.26 inches.

More than 4.50 inches were reported in parts of Collier County over the 24-hour period, and rainfall estimates in Everglades National Park came in at 4.76 inches, according to the South Florida Water Management District.

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CHICAGO SNOWFALL RECORDS: Saturday’s 7 inches of snow at O’Hare International Airport buried the Nov. 21 record of 3 inches set in 1893, according to Paul Dailey at WGN-TV.

That came on top of Friday’s 4.2 inches, which was also a record. The two-day storm total of 11.2 inches was just shy of the November record of 12 inches in 1895,

Capron, Ill., just east of Rockford, checked in with a storm total of 18.5 inches.